Adaptive Insights' Analytics Software Adds Data Integration Tool

While companies are interested in using cloud analytics, many of them cite data integration issues as a key hurdle, according to a Ventana Research study mentioned by Loraine Lawson in an IT Business Edge blog post. She includes a quote from Ventana VP and Research Director Tony Cosentino: "Such issues are especially prevalent for companies that have legacy BI tools using data models that have been distributed across their divisions. Often these organizations have defined their business logic and metrics calculations within the context of these tools."

Adaptive Insights, a provider of cloud business analytics, addresses the integration issue in the latest release of its software, Suite 2014.2. The company promises that a new feature called Adaptive Integration delivers "enterprise-class data integration, transformation, data staging and scheduling as a cloud service." It enables users to source and merge multiple data sources into the staging area; store snapshots of history; manage incremental or full data sets; store summary or detail; and cleanse and prepare for analytics.

"Today's decision makers are demanding an incredibly connected view of their business that reaches across systems and processes. Traditional business analytics systems typically require costly on-premise data warehouses, or worse, risk creating one-off silos of data and individual integration projects," said Paul Turner, vice president of Product Marketing, Adaptive Insights, in a statement. "Adaptive Integration provides organizations with an intuitive yet powerful cloud data integration and preparation platform, one that both data analysts can easily contribute data to, and IT can use sophisticated transformation and merging power to map sources into, finally enabling everyone to work together to achieve an enterprise view, all with the simplicity of the cloud."

In addition todata integration, Adaptive’s new Authentication module integrates with corporate single sign on (SSO) standards to provide single sign on to the Adaptive Suite, eliminating the need for users to re-enter a login and passwords. Adaptive integrates with popular identity management and single sign-on solutions like Okta and Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services.

Another new feature,Adaptive Planning and Consolidation sheets, introduces look, feel and calculations modeled on Microsoft's Excel, together with a user experience that’s optimized for either click or touch across various form factors, including desktops and mobile devices.

Adaptive also announced the availability of Adaptive OfficeConnect. software that offers the ability to blend cloud-based board, management and financial reports with Microsoft Office. According to the company, it enables users to convert existing Excel, PowerPoint and Word reporting sheets and documents into production with just a few clicks and automatically update them with actuals, plans and forecasts from Adaptive Planning and Adaptive Consolidation.

According to the company, Adaptive 2014.2 is available on Sept. 19, while Adaptive OfficeConnect will be available on Sept. 29.

Earlier this year the company changed its name from Adaptive Planning to Adaptive Insights, a moveCEO John Herr said better described the benefits the company delivers. Adaptive Insights is used by over 2,200 customers worldwide, including AAA, Boston Scientific, Konica Minolta, NetSuite, Philips and Siemens.